This post is part of the NOTlabs Laser Challenge: 30 days, 30 experiments! The ground rules are: for 30 days, Shawn and I are alternating days with executing and sharing a Laser Cutter involved experiment! And most importantly - we’re supposed to have fun, explore ideas, and it’s less about a fully formed product/concept at the end of the day, but more about seeing where the experiment takes us!

Laser Challenges #9 and #10 are here! We’ve slipped behind a tiny bit, but the rules still hold that each project goes from idea to post in less than a day… so today we teamed up for a pair of projects that complement and grew off each other. Looking around NOTlabs, i’ve had glass bottles around that are too pretty to throw away, but we also couldn’t figure out what to do with them (other than vases and as “future projects”) ~ including these Aladdin Sake Bottles and the Sofia Coppola Bottles… we also have a yard full of birds, from finches and jays to parrots and hummingbirds and more… so we decided to try turning them into bird feeders, with just laser cut acrylic and paracord. Of course all of this turned into a fun late night experiment playing with finding the perfect curves (and my learning more rhino from shawn), mastering snap fits down to such tiny measurements, and then a late night bird feeder hanging and photoshoot! Shawn’s #9 turns the wine bottle into a beautiful feeder that plays off of the curves so nicely! My #10 plays off of his ideas and takes them one step further with the stacked sake bottles of food and water (yay for the magic of surface tension) which can also be turned into a finches and little birds on top - hummingbirds downstairs set up. Just took the picture above while sitting here waiting to see if the birds come today… but for now, see the process and details of our two bird feeders on the next page!

p.s. If you have ideas, or want some laser cutting done, or want to play with us… feel free to use the contact form or leave a comment! And if you’re curious about the laser cutter we’re using, here’s the unboxing.

TO PAGE 2 of "Laser Challenges #9 + 10: Bird Feeders"! ----->

Tags: animals - birds - laser - Laser Challenge - nature - NOTlabs

Here’s the latest from London-based editor and resident zoologist, Justine Aw!

Over the past few days, I have had been helping out on the live set behind Channel 4’s Easter Eggs Live, an exciting program that features eggs of all sorts hatching and developing live on air! With so many species about to hatch, there is nonstop action on the live streams which will continue until Monday. The newly hatched babies are pretty adorable too and you can watch them live as well on the live Baby Cams.

It’s been a busy day in the studio, with lots of animals to look after, and nonstop spawning and hatching activity. Check out more photos of the studio behind the scenes and of the incredible eggs, their layers and babies on the next page!

TO PAGE 2 of "Easter Eggs Live"! ----->

Tags: animals - birds - nature - tv

The latest from London-based editor and resident zoologist, Justine Aw.

The photographs that make up this bird series from photographer Bob Croslin are striking. With clean black backgrounds and incredibly sharp focus, there are no distractions from the beautiful features of Croslin’s avian subjects. The series captures injured animals from The Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary in the Gulf Coast of Florida. The sanctuary has been helping injured birds for 40 years and has rehabilitated thousands of individuals and the species range from delicate swallows to the heftier spoonbills and pelicans. I love how the individuals look so composed, almost defiant in their portraits. See some more of our favorite images from the series on the next page!

TO PAGE 2 of "Bob Croslin's Bird Series"! ----->

Tags: animals - art - birds - nature - photography

The latest dose of natural inspiration from our resident zoologist and London-based editor, Justine Aw.

It’s an unusual sight for most of us, beautiful birds captured on camera, not in the freedom of flight, but tangled in the confines of mist nets. Photographer Todd Forsgren captures birds in unusual poses. Inspired by the work of Audubon, bird-watcher Forsgren’s photos shows fascinating bird species captured in mist nets, the thin barely visible nets that act like huge spiderwebs used by researchers to collect data on birds.

Unlike Audubon’s original subjects which were shot, stuffed/mounted, then painted, Forsgren’s subjects are only briefly captured by researchers before being released (after being weighed, measured and given leg rings). The photographs are poignant and beautiful glimpses at some rarely seen species in often awkward poses, which Forsgren describes as the “fragile and embarrassing moment before they disappear back into the woods, and into data”. Beautiful! See more selections from the series on the next page!

TO PAGE 2 of "Todd Forsgren's Ornithological Photographs"! ----->

Tags: animals - art - birds - nature - photography - science

The latest from London-based editor, Justine Aw as she checks out the press preview of New Designers 2012, which is open to the public from June 27th-30th.

Another highlight from New Designers this year was the Wire Wonderland series from Hayley Dix. The beautiful wireframe birds look like charming, whimsical drawings perched on real branches! They are both abstracted and natural at the same time. More photos of the adorable woodland creatures on the next page!

TO PAGE 2 of "Hayley Dix's Wire Wonderland"! ----->

Tags: animals - art - birds - nature

The latest dose of natural inspiration from our resident zoologist and London-based editor, Justine Aw as she shares some of her work with London’s largest city farm, Mudchute Park & Farm.

We’ve had Wyandotte chicks and little mandarin ducklings, but the latest brood are the tiniest little precocious chicks yet. Fitting comfortably in an espresso cup, the latest arrivals are golden pheasants (Chrysolophus pictus), an ornamental breed native to the forests in mountainous areas of western China.

You can also see the little chicks on the Mudchute Farm blog and be sure to visit the them at the farm, where they are currently living in a brooder near Pets Corner. Lots of hatching pics and video on the next page!

TO PAGE 2 of "Tiny Pheasant Chicks!"! ----->

Tags: animals - birds - nature

I’ve loved the Lladró Parrot Party collection since they first debuted in 2010 and i saw them in person at ICFF… well, their latest additions i just saw at Dwell On Design are adorable as well! The Parrot Vanity mirror is especially tempting! They have also added the Parrot Romance and Parrot Treasure. See them all on the next page!

TO PAGE 2 of "Lladró's latest Parrot Party"! ----->

Tags: animals - birds - gifts - home - porcelain - shopping

The latest dose of natural inspiration from our resident zoologist and London-based editor, Justine Aw.

As a little side project, I’ve been helping hatch poultry for the always wonderful Mudchute Park & Farm and our most recent arrivals have been two beautiful Mandarin ducklings. You can find out more about their incubation and see the eldest just after hatching on the Mudchute blog.

Ducklings should be introduced to water early on as these mandarins would naturally have jumped from their nest in a hole in a tree and headed straight for the water with their mom. So we got a paint tray (they’re ideal because they are fairly shallow and graded, allowing the ducklings to get in and out of the water on their own and introduced the ducklings on their first day post-hatching. I expected the little ducklings to paddle contentedly at the surface, but to my surprise, the youngest duckling dove right in and began swimming underwater (more like you might expect from a gannet, puffin or penguin!). She does it in a crazed frenzy, swimming madly around, completely submerged then leaping out of the water entirely! It’s all a mad blur in real time, but photos capture the frenzy (and mess), her expression almost reminds me of the portraits of dogs underwater. More photos of our adorable little duckling splashing around on the next page!

TO PAGE 2 of "Duckling Swimming Underwater!"! ----->

Tags: animals - birds - nature

Introducing NOTCOT Supports, a new series of posts where we put our money behind projects we love! This one comes from our resident zoologist and London-based editor, Justine Aw… today we have just adopted a penguin colony in Antarctica!.

That’s right, at the NOTlabs we still have our Puma Penguin Army… so now, we’ve just adopted our very own real life Antarctic penguin colony and hope to bring you updates from colony NOTCOT! It’s all part of an awesome new project by my former Zoology colleague Tom Hart, a self-described ‘penguinologist’ who has done some amazing research into penguin behavior and conservation over the past few years. Antarctica is the perfect environment for penguin colonies, but as the highest, driest, coldest continent on earth, it isn’t the easiest or most accessible to researchers. After piloting time lapse data collection, Tom is now looking to set up a series of time-lapse cameras in Antarctica and link them to a satellite phone, enabling researchers to gain access to remote areas accessed by humans only once every five to ten years. You can find out more about Penguin Lifelines and how to help this exciting new penguin research via the penguin cam RocketHub page where you can adopt a penguin colony yourself and even get the opportunity to go out to Antarctica for a mission!!!

We look forward to bringing you updates from the NOTCOT colony in the future, but in the meantime, here is some of that incredible footage from the team. Love the serenity of Antarctica and the stark contrast between the real time footage and frenzied time lapse of five months of furious penguin activity (and serious weather!).

Join us in supporting the Penguin Satellite Camera Project here, and see more pictures of the penguins and adventures on the next page!

TO PAGE 2 of "NOTCOT Supports: Penguin SatCam"! ----->

Tags: animals - birds - camera - nature - NOTCOT Supports - penguin - science

The latest dose of natural inspiration from our resident zoologist and London-based editor, Justine Aw.

Incubating your own eggs is something a lot of kids get to do in school, but something I’ve never actually done myself, so I was very excited to get the chance to incubate our own little brood! It was a fantastic birthday-present of sorts with a borrowed incubator and permanent home in the country all lined up.

I’ve always been fascinated by livestock breeds, so we’d thought a lot about what types of breeds we’d be after (those considering poultry in the UK, but confused about breeds should make a trip down to the incredible Domestic Fowl Trust). With a few favorites in mind, we were happy to find a few local breeders and picked up 6 Wyandotte hatching eggs (3 silver-laced and 3 gold-laced). We documented their 21 day journey from eggs to chick and hope you enjoy their journey as well as a live stream of the chicks as they grow over the next week or two! See it all on the next page!

TO PAGE 2 of "From Egg to Chick"! ----->

Tags: animals - birds - nature - science

Catch up with the latest from London with our UK-based editor Justine Aw.

You may noticed the little spectacled cormorant in our post on the Ghosts of Gone Birds exhibition. The cormorant is part of the visual identity of the exhibition, created by Peter Hodgson of Goodpilot. Having a strong visual identity throughout the show really helps tie all of the diverse pieces together. Here is a closer look at the visual identity work from the show, including the lovely logo and series of ghost stories and other materials. Read more about the stories behind the posters here.

TO PAGE 2 of "Ghosts of Gone Birds Identity"! ----->

Tags: animals - art - birds - gallery - london - nature - poster

Here’s the latest from our London-based editor Justine Aw

Naturalists and art lovers are in for a treat with the stunning exhibition Ghosts of Gone Birds. Ghosts is the brainchild of filmmaker Ceri Levy and Chris Aldhouse of Goodpilot and an exhibition which captures and celebrates extinct bird species and raises awareness and funds for conservation. The show includes over 300 pieces created by an army of 120 artists, writers and musicians (see the full list here and all proceeds from the show will aid conservation through Bird Life International.

Those who can’t catch the show in London can still purchase some of the gorgeous prints through the online shop, but I would strongly recommend heading down to see this amazing show in person if you can. The exhibition runs until November 23rd at the Rochelle School in Shoreditch, full details here. In the meantime, take a look at the show through our eyes with our photo gallery of personal highlights and Ghost’s facebook page.

TO PAGE 2 of "Ghosts of Gone Birds"! ----->

Tags: animals - art - birds - gallery - illustration - installation - nature - print - prints - sculpture

On shows not to miss ~ Leontine Greenberg’s ‘Animal Vegetable Mineral’ solo show opened tonight at Gallery 1988’s Venice outpost, and its stunning! As usual, her birds and other creatures explore vintage tech and umbrellas in their water colored world framed by her hand cut borders! See the full preview of the show at Gallery 1988 ~ and take a peek at some of my favorite close ups from the show on the next page!

TO PAGE 2 of "Leontine Greenberg: Animal Vegetable Mineral"! ----->

Tags: art - birds - gallery - illustration - opening

More discoveries from Justine! This is a beautiful piece by jewellery designer, Yenz Lin, spotted at the 2011 degree shows at Central Saint Martins College. The Crown-Bird is a headpiece made from SLS in Nylon Powder… and while from most angles it’s not easy to tell what it is exactly… at the perfect angle adorable shadows of birds are created. As the title hints ~ it’s all about your perception! See the full series on the next page!

TO PAGE 2 of "Yenz Lin's Perception Crown Bird Head Piece"! ----->

Tags: birds - concepts - fashion

Popped by Dwell on Design in LA today ~ highlight? CHICKENS! Particularly mod wooden chicken coops by 100xBTR and Chicken Co-op. Fun, playful, and perfect for your modern rooftops and yards ~ i love the seeing designs that enable more and more folks to expand their sustainable hyper-local/home grown possibilities… (without sacrificing their innovative design loving tendencies). Read to see the chickens and more of the fun little details (and full views) of these pre-fab chicken estates? To the next page!

TO PAGE 2 of "Chickens at Dwell on Design"! ----->

Tags: animals - birds - gardens - gifts - home - nature - shopping

Justine went to check out the incredible RCA 2011 Graduate show! Here’s a peek at what she found…

One highlight for me was the work of Jack Smith! My favorite of his pieces was the Birdbox, a flat packable birdhouse composed of two flat plywood pieces that assembles easily to form a cozy birdhouse. So beautiful in its simplicity, you simply must check out its pieces and how it comes together! See it all on the next page!

TO PAGE 2 of "Jack Smith BirdBox @ Show RCA 2011"! ----->

Tags: animals - birds - concepts - nature - RCA

I love Helmut Lang. And i couldn’t help but share the ornithological aspect of their Resort 2012 collection when i was checking it out at Style.com. The imagery resembles X-Rays of the birds in flight ~ in a nice stark white on black… other pieces add a subtle touch of black feathers on their simple, architectural dresses. Visually mesmerizing, no idea how they’ll seem in person, but make for interesting pics. See close ups on the next page.

P.s. The model freaks me out a little, but when i tried to crop her head out it was even worse.

TO PAGE 2 of "Helmut Lang Resort 2012: Birds"! ----->

Tags: animals - birds - fashion - gifts - nature - shopping

So you’ve seen how beautiful my dad’s window seat views flying in to Christmas Island were… well i just raided his SD card full of Christmas Island adventures, and there were so many inspiring nature pics, i had to share them with you! It’s amazing to see how crisp and clear the water is… Take a peek at everything from octopi and shrimp, to sharks and mantas, to frigates and puffers… and more on the next page!

TO PAGE 2 of "Creatures of Christmas Island"! ----->

Tags: animals - birds - nature - ocean - octopus - travel

Thanks, Veuve Clicquot, our Milano Design Week sponsor! We adore their new origami inspired ice bucket, Clicq’up.

Spotted in Milan, the mesmerizing Flylight, by Lonneke Gordijn and Ralph Nauta (Studio DRIFT) in collaboration with engineers Klaas van der Molen and Luuk van Laake. It is a beautiful light installation composed of 160 glass tubes. The tubes light up and respond to the viewer and was inspired by the movements of a flock of birds. Each light is programmed with digital DNA and responds individually to the presence of viewers. Ultrasonic sensors detect the distance between viewers and installation, causing the ‘flock’ to react differently as visitors come closer or approach the installation in different configurations. To make sense of it fully you have to check out the video and pics on the next page!

TO PAGE 2 of "FlyLight by Design Drift"! ----->

Tags: art - birds - installation - lighting - milan - salone - technology

Another fun discovery from Justine! How adorable are these paper birds?! These paper sculptures are part of a gorgeous window display at Liberty. The display was comissioned by The Crafts Council and designed and created by paper artist Andy Singleton to celebrate the opening of the Liberty Stationery Room on March 10th. See the full display and more on the next page…

TO PAGE 2 of "Andy Singleton Windows at Liberty "! ----->

Tags: art - birds - london - sculpture

We’re so in love with and inspired by nature here at NOTCOT ~ Here’s another peek into the world of our resident zoologist and editor, Justine! So amazing and adorable to see how these little birds come to be! Oooh and you can follow her on twitter now ~ @NotCritters… say hi!

With spring on its way, it’s time to get ready for the bounty to come. Here are some photos of the adorable blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) family that made their home in a nestbox on my office balcony last summer. Take a peek at their growth from eggs to fluffy teenagers on the next page!

TO PAGE 2 of "Balcony Blue Tits"! ----->

Tags: animals - birds - nature - photography

Mesmerizing isn’t it? The most amazing things come through from the CIA - just discovered this in my email from their newsletter! The beauty and simplicity of these gifs are sucking me in tonight. So so beautiful, and Richard Wilkinson basically captures his work flow in photoshop - saving them into high res animated gifs you can view on his blog! It’s as if you’re watching the image paint itself… yes, it’s nearly 3am, and you’ll see why i’ve gone quiet the last few days as i’ve been obsessively working on the giveaways and gift guides launching this week… but for now… aren’t these incredible? These beautiful illustrations were for a 5 page spread for The Telegraph Magazine’s ‘Luxury’ supplement. See a few more of my favorites and a peek at the spread on the next page…

TO PAGE 2 of "Richard Wilkinson's Process Gifs"! ----->

Tags: animation - art - birds - illustration - nature

Took a little walk down to the British School of Falconry at Gleneagles today (ok, so, i crossed the maze of hedges - seriously, like a maze for kids to play in - and the tennis courts, and was at the falconry school!) ~ and it was absolutely mesmerizing watching the birds that were out in the viewing cages! So gorgeous… there’s something incredibly inspiring about these stunning birds of prey… also, i realized they almost always look sad/angry, but do make some impressively stern expressions… and i took a ton of pics. There are Steppe Eagles, Golden Eagles, Peregrine Falcons, and Harris Hawks. Go take a peek on the next page for some falconry fun!

TO PAGE 2 of "Falconry at Gleneagles"! ----->

Tags: animals - birds - nature - outdoors - scotland - travel

It was absolutely breathtaking to see the Lladró Parrot Party Collection in person (They launched in January at Maison et Objet). They are spectacular, and they truly capture those moments of curiosity, intrigue, and playfulness parrots are known for… and the pairing with such modern yet simple shapes and colors, mixtures of matte and glazed glossy porcelain goodness create such fascinating contrasts. This is apparently the first collection in the Lladró Atelier concept, “a world of new experiences in porcelain under the guidance of Jaime Hayon, conceived to showcase the creative potential of the brand’s designers.” As a contrast to the usual press photos, and while i still insist these are worth seeing in person if possible ~ take a peek on the next page of how incredible i found the details and lifelike character of the Parrots!

p.s. So far when asked what my favorite thing is at ICFF ~ this is what jumps to mind!

TO PAGE 2 of "Lladró Parrot Party Collection"! ----->

Tags: birds - gifts - icff - nature - porcelain - shopping

Another Dear NOTCOT surprise ~ this one comes in from Lou Mora ~ awesome photographer, and apparently between seeing the matte black penguin and the Oscars last night… he got inspired and decided to take some sand paper to a blue penguin and make a GOLDEN PENGUIN!!! Ready to see the evolution? See all the pics he sent over on the next page…

TO PAGE 2 of "The Golden Puma Penguin"! ----->

Tags: animals - art - birds - Dear NOTCOT - nature - penguin